SUNBURY — Cars and deer are quite often a lethal combination.
Just ask Mark and Jennifer O'Malley, of Winfield, who about a year ago were driving a new Ford F-150 late at night on Beagle Club Road when a large, white-tailed deer darted ran straight into their truck.
The F-150 sustained front-end damage. A radiator and front headlights had to be replaced.
The deer wasn't so lucky.
It fell dead into a thicket of trees on the side of the road.
"There was nothing I could do," Mark O'Malley recalled. "I can't believe how fast it happened. I drove up a hill, turned right, and the buck just ran across the road directly into my lights. I tried to use every evasive maneuver I could think of. I applied my brakes. Swerved. But it didn't matter."
The O'Malleys were lucky. The deer was mature and weighed about 140 pounds.
It's rare when Valley drivers are killed in accidents with deer — the last was in Northumberland County in 1997, said Mike Hess, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
It's not rare, however, when deer are struck.
According to PennDOT, there were 27 vehicular accidents involving deer in Northumberland County in 2009 and 24 in 2008; there were seven in Montour County in 2009 and nine in 2008; six in Snyder County in 2009 and 11 in 2008; and seven in Union County in 2009 and nine in 2008.
Statewide, there were 2,923 vehicle accidents involving deer in 2009.
That was 2.4 percent of all crashes in Pennsylvania.
PennDOT also noted five vehicle deaths caused by accidents involving deer. That represents 0.4 percent of all vehicular deaths caused by crashes in 2009.
1.5 million crashes
Nationwide, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that there are more than 1.5 million crashes in the United States involving deer, costing an estimated $1.1 billion in vehicle damage.
With the earlier onset of nightfall, motorists should be prepared to encounter white-tailed deer running onto roads across Pennsylvania, PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler warned Thursday.
Typically, there is a sharp rise in the number of deer-related crashes at this time of year, Biehler said.
Forty-six percent of all reportable crashes in the past five years involving deer occurred in October and November, with nearly 78 percent of those occurring between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Deer are less cautious and move around more during their breeding season, commonly referred to as the "rut," said Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
"During the rut," Feaser said, "deer are moving about more than usual. It's a time when deer are preoccupied with finding the opposite sex or staying a few steps ahead of rival suitors.
"It's a time when this summer's fawns — left alone while does follow nature's calling — sometimes naively wander into troublesome predicaments."
Hunting season activity
Deer also can be more active during the state's deer-hunting season.
A five-day, bucks-only season is scheduled for Nov. 29 through Dec. 3, followed by a concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer season from Dec. 4 through Dec. 11.
Though not always avoidable, there are some steps the Game Commission says drivers can take to avoid hitting a deer:
— Be aware of posted deer crossing signs.
These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
— Slow down, use caution and be especially watchful during morning and evening hours.
— Allow extra following distance between vehicles, particularly where deer crossing signs are posted. Since deer often travel in small herds, motorists should exercise caution when one deer crosses a road as it will likely be followed by others.
— Use high-beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roads.
— Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds -- if you see one, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
— Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles.
— Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
— Deer are unpredictable. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down; blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if the deer stays on the road. Don't try to go around it.
— If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle or place you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
News
Related Photos
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A minivan passes a deer crossing sign along Route 522 in Penn Township, Snyder County, on Thursday. Officials urge drivers to use caution near such crossings. Matthew Harris/The Daily Item
Discussion
Dangerous deer: During rutting season, they're on the roads
During rutting season, they're on the roads
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